PHOTO of the Day: "Normal Children School" ROTFLMAO

The name of this school from this hilarious photo makes us wonder if crazy children tried to enroll at any point in time.

Father, son arraigned for accusing LASTMA officials of kidnap attempt

A middle-aged man, Kudaisi Kamoru and his son, Sulaimon, have been arraigned before an Abeokuta magistrate court for accusing two officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) of kidnap attempt. The accused were arraigned by the state police command for allegedlly beating one Tijani Rasaq and Ibironke Mustapha in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital last month.

NDLEA uncovers 3.2kg cocaine concealed in candles

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, have discovered 3.2 kilogrammes of high grade cocaine concealed inside some candles.
It arrested a 45-year-old suspect, Aina Fausat Olanrewaju, for carrying the drug, which street value was put at N30 million. NDLEA discovered the suspect’s “innovation” on Sunday during an inward screening of passengers on an Emirate flight from Brazil.
The drug was industrially packed inside six big candles, four of which were black and the other two green.
Answering questions from narcotic officers, Olanrewaju said the candles were meant for spiritual use.
But the curious NDLEA officers broke the candles and discovered that they contained cocaine.
The suspect was arrested following the discovery of the cocaine-laden candles in her luggage, which also contained female shoes, bags and clothes.
NDLEA said the single mother of two children might be working for an international drug cartel with stronghold in Brazil.
She has been taken on follow-up operations in Nigeria to arrest others linked with the crime.
Two persons have reportedly been arrested for the unlawful drug importation, but NDLEA said it has begun investigation to determine their level of involvement.
NDLEA Airport Commander, Alhaji Hamza Umar, said: “There is no limit to the tricks of drug trafficking syndicates. The candle mode of concealment is simply amazing.”
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Ahmadu Giade urged the officers to continue to expose drug barons’ tricks through meticulous search operations.

I’ve no plan to vie for Fashola’s seat –Ikuforiji

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji has denied speculations that he has declared his intention to vie for the state governorship position in next year’s general elections.

Speaking with Assembly Correspondents in Lagos on Monday, Ikuforiji explained that it is not right for him to declare his intention to run for the number one seat in the state unless his party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) allows him.

He added that he has chosen to remain active politician to make life bearable for his people.

He however stressed: “I am eligible to vie for any elective post right from the councillorship”.

He said that Nigeria has every reason to celebrate 50 years of independence, but condemned the huge amount earmarked by the Federal Government for the event.

ACN wins in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti

With results outstanding from only Oshodi/Soomulu, the ACN has 1,373,987 votes to PDP's 251,556 for governorship polls (83 percent to PDP'S 16 percent). ACN also won all Lagos House of Assembly seats.

ACN has also won governorship polls in Ogun and Oyo; but in Oyo the margin of victory is just 30,000 votes. The party has also won 24 out of 26 seats in the state assembly elections in Ekiti, losing just two to the PDP.

Police nab 3 suspected inter-state robbers

LAGOS - Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command Special Anti-Robbery Squad, have arrested three suspected members of a notorious robbery gang that operate outside the state.

However, a suspected female member of the gang earlier arrested with a bag full of arms and ammunition, denied being a member of the gang .

Rather, she claimed that the weapons was handed to her by her boyfriend, whose identity she gave simply as Charles.

The 25-year-old lady, Mary Onwuka, was arrested at Agboju park two weeks ago while trying to board a bus to Koko, Delta State, where the gang reportedly planned to carry out a robbery operation

Reactions as Lagosians review Fashola’s 1,400-day stewardship

Last week, traders, farmers, transport operators, artisans and public servants were among those that gathered at Onikan Stadium to mark Governor Babatunde Fashola’s 1,400 days in office.

The meeting provided an avenue for participants to evaluate the performance of the Fashola-led administration and its impacts on their lives.

Also, an array of officers of the state service agencies, and voluntary associations had a colourful parade.

Mr. Kunle Hassan said he could have died of kidney ailment if the state government did not intervene in his case. He narrated how the state government sponsored his medical trip to India, where he underwent kidney transplant successfully at the cost of N5m.

Another resident, Mr. John Omokolawole, said he took advantage of Lagos State Agriculture Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric-YES), which empowered him to eke a living after wandering about streets after graduation in 2008 because he could not get a job. “I keyed into Agric-YES. The form was even free. I was selected after the exams. Now, I am living a meaningful life.”

A PDP vote is a wasted vote, says Fashola

The Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday said the People’s Democratic Party has consistently proved that a vote for the party is a vote for suffering.

He urged Nigerians to use their votes to protest this failure of governance by voting for the Action Congress of Nigeria in the forthcoming general polls.

Mr. Fashola said this while flagging off the senatorial campaign rally of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at the Agege Township Stadium.

He complained that each time President Goodluck Jonathan visits Lagos, traffic along many routes are unnecessarily blocked leading to serious gridlock. “Because they are coming to campaign in Lagos today, the PDP has blocked the entire roads leading to Lagos Island. There is a heavy traffic congestion in different parts of the state because Jonathan is coming to campaign. That is how they subject people to untold suffering. Lagosians are suffering in the traffic caused by the security operatives of President Jonathan. If you vote for PDP, you vote for suffering. We have a lot of resources, but have nothing to show for it,” he said. The senatorial rally was held concurrently in the three senatorial districts of the state.

He described the party’s presidential candidate, Nuhu Ribadu and his deputy, Fola Adeola, as “true agents of positive change, whom Nigerians should vote in the next election.”

“Considering their antecedents,” said Mr. Fashola, who was accompanied by his running mate, Adejoke Orelope-Adefilure, “we believe the time has come to change the destiny of our country, and this is what the candidature of Ribadu and Adeola really represents.”

“The entire people of Nigeria irrespective of ethnic, political and religious affiliations need to rise against governance failure, which the ruling party has represented in the last twelve years. Vote for the duo of Ribadu and Adeola, both of whom have been tested and performed creditably well in their chosen fields,” the governor said.

Call for accountability

Mr. Fashola also asked Nigerians to demand that President Goodluck explains how a huge sum of $500 billion, which accrued to the country from oil sale in the last five years, was spent.

He said oil revenue, though huge, has had no impact on the country’s decaying and moribund social amenities and infrastructure.

The federal government “has made $500 billion from the sale of crude oil. We should ask the ruling party how the revenue was spent. The roads are bad. Social amenities are decayed. Electricity is not stable. The ruling PDP has been in power for twelve years, and has not been able to make them function. The time of PDP is up. We must no longer allow the ruling party to continue lead us on the path of failure and darkness.”

Jonathan targets Lagos

Despite suffering a string of losses in the South West recently, the Peoples Democratic Party is determined to wrest Lagos State from the tight grip of the Action Congress of Nigeria which has ruled the state since 1999.

President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend in Ibadan urged leaders of the party in the South-West to work at winning the gubernatorial election in Lagos, or the PDP will always rue its inability to take over a state so strategically located.

Speaking at a parley with delegates at the Mapo Hall in Ibadan the president said, “If you don’t get Lagos we will continue to be tormented. I have discovered that Lagos as a result of its strategic position has the capacity to intimidate other South West states. We have more political weight in Lagos State. Our analysis proves that if a clean election is conducted PDP will win.” He added that, “The figure of supporters I have of other ethnic groups in Lagos show that PDP can beat any other party. We are more prepared and confident that we can win ahead of any other presidential aspirant now. I assure you that we are committed and I encourage you to work harder to win South West clearly especially Oyo, Ogun and Lagos”.

The President and Vice President Namadi Sambo, had at the weekend visited the South-West region in a bid to lobby delegates for the presidential primaries of the PDP slated for January.

Kinship with Ibadan

The president and his vice flew into Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday afternoon to have consultations with various groups in the party and notable South West elders.

Mr. Sambo, in his speech, noted that the President and himself both served in Ibadan during their National Youth Service Corps’ days and so must be considered “Ibadan boys.”

According to him, “I served in the Ministry of Works in Ibadan so I am an Ibadan boy. President Jonathan has all the experience, the first to have served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and now the president. He is transparent, patient and a patriotic Nigerian and we are working together to develop, construct and transform this country.’’

In his remark, the Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala said Ibadan was the heart of the South West, and no matter the court pronouncements in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun, PDP remains strong in the South West and will soon claim Lagos State.

The Zonal Coordinator of Jonathan/Sambo Campaign and Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, said the 585 delegates’ vote from the south west that was promised the president would be delivered.

“What we are doing is not speculative but a definite operation and total delivery does not mean operation work at ease”.

He assured the president that 51 delegates of Lagos, 60 of Ekiti, 80 of Ondo, 108 of Ogun, 153 of Oyo and 133 of Osun states will deliver the south west vote for the Jonathan/Sambo ticket during the January 13th primaries.

All for one

Speaking for the south west Mr. Daniel said, “If we do it well we will stand before our President and demand our rights in terms of development. South west stands for true federalism and we agree that the Jonathan/Sambo ticket represents that concept. We have a candidate who has everything other candidates are looking for, he is already the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, our job is to reconfirm what we already know that come 2011 election we will give our vote to Mr. President”.

Also speaking on behalf of the party chairmen in the region, Dayo Dairo, the PDP chairman of Ondo State affirmed the promise that all delegates from the region will give their votes to Mr. Jonathan.

The leader of the South West branch of the Association of Chairmen of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), John Obafemi, of Ogun State said, “For us the election has been concluded. This is our own project to ensure we deliver the Jonathan/Sambo ticket. All ALGON chairmen in the country had agreed to vote Jonathan/Sambo and we in the South West are looking forward to seeing you sworn in on May 29th 2011”.

Speaking on behalf of the members of the House of Representatives in the region, Duro Fasheyi said, “we have resolved in our meeting, our word is our bond. We won’t change our vote. We are reaffirming our vote on January 13th and all we ask is that we need you to stand by us”.

Speaking on behalf of women in the region, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, assured the duo of the women’s vote in the south west, since they had all been sensitised by the president’s wife, Patience Jonathan through the Women for Change Initiative and Jonathan’s support for women.

She said, “We assure you of our vote since you have promised us 35 per cent affirmative action, you have our votes but keep your promise”.

Iyiola Omisore, a Senator, moved the motion that the 585 delegates in the region should pledge their total votes to the Jonathan/Sambo ticket come January 13th.

Some of the PDP leaders expected to hold consultations with the President include Alao-Akala, Mr Daniel; former Ondo State governor Olusegun Agagu, the sacked Ekiti State governor, Olusegun Oni, Mrs. Etteh, Richard Akinjide and Raji Rasaki.

Mr. Jonathan and Mr. Sambo also visited the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Olugade.

Other notable personalities include the Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode, Minister of Youth, Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Minister of Special Duty, Taoheed Adedoja, Minister of Commerce, Jubril Martins Kuye, the Head of Service of the Federation, Oladapo Afolabi, Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Caleb Olubolade, and the Director General Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Dalhatu Tafida.

207 Runners Set For Obudu Mountain Race

An array of international runners from nine countries will take part in the sixth edition of the Obudu International Mountain Race next Saturday.

Reports say that organisers of the annual race in the Cross River State holiday resort say 207 runners comprising 131 Nigerians and 76 foreigners will take part in the race.

William Archibong, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), said in a statement that runners from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Colombia, Austria, Israel, Egypt and Cameroon would vie for honours in the 11-km race.

Archibong said all arrangements for a hitch-free race had been completed, adding that Gov. Liyel Imoke was satisfied with the logistics for the race.

He said the experience gained by the organisers since the inaugural race six years ago had been of immense benefit in preparing for Saturday’s race, which would be run uphill to an altitude of 1,575 metres above sea level.

He commended the state government for the opportunity accorded the committee to ensure the success of the annual race.

“Without doubts, the tremendous backing we have received from the governor has galvanised us into organising what the President of World Mountain Running Association, Bruno Gozzelino has called a perfect race so far.

“This is a confirmation that the organisation of the race has been of international standard,” Archibong said.

“We can only get better and want to assure Nigerians that we shall continue to project Nigeria in positive light to the rest of the world through a perfect organisation of the annual Obudu International Mountain Race.

“This is a perfect image laundering tool for Nigeria,” he added.

The LOC chief described the Obudu Mountain Race as the highest paying race in the world with $50,000 on offer each for the men and women winners.

In another development, the Media Officer of the race, Patrick Ugbe, disclosed that the governor had approved the increase of the total prize money from $245,500 to $278,000 for the men’s, women’s and children races.

Ugbe attributed the increase to the number of events, which had been increased.
He said that the women would participate in the championship for the first time in this year edition